Santiago wrote:This thread has me wondering what's a bad hook pattern for chub?? Which hooks should one avoid using and why?? Or are favourite patterns just based on anecdotal catch rates?
Good question...Hook choice is a very personal thing. Most of us are happy to use different rods and reels because it's nice to ring the changes. A change of venue is also welcome, but the thought of using anything other than a hook pattern you have used for years and in which you have absolute faith, is for many of us, unthinkable. It's a bit like using a brand of line other than Maxima...
The truth is, the majority of modern hooks are very good indeed and a vast improvement on what we had available in the fifties and sixties. I still 'ping' every hook with my fingernail to check the temper, no need nowadays, but I still do it...old habits die hard.
Does anyone remember cutting the shanks short on low water salmon hooks and soldering a blob on the shanks to stop the knot sliding off? Then Jack Hilton's hooks came along, great hooks, made by Partridge's I believe.
Finally, if a decent chub does find a snag and it often will, it doesn't really matter which brand or pattern of hook you are using, it will still spoil your day...